A/N: So this is my first real attempt at a fanfic. Constructive criticism is welcome (just be gentle).
Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything Avatar belongs to Bryke, Nickelodeon, and other people.
Balance
Prologue
"Wait," the Avatar said as he looked back to the fallen prince lying face down in the snow. "We can't just leave him here, he'll die."
"Sure we can," Sokka replied. "If he dies now, then that's one less Fire Nation scum we have to deal with."
Katara glared at her brother as she pushed him aside. "What Sokka means is, Aang, that if Zuko is gone, then that's one less worry we have to deal with in ending this war."
"Either way, it'll be one less thorn in our side, which I've had plenty of, thanks."
Aang never took his eyes off of the unconscious Zuko. "...I don't know...it doesn't feel right, just leaving him here to die like that."
Sokka scrambled forward towards him, tripping ungracefully over the front of Appa's saddle on the way. He managed to upright himself and put a hand on the Avatar's shoulder, then told him in a more serious tone, "Look Aang, I know it seems wrong, but this is a war. And during wars, you can't save everyone, it's just not possible. Especially when the person you're trying to save is the enemy!"
Aang felt a warm hand on his other shoulder, and turned to see the piercing blue gaze of Katara. Though he remained silent, he pleaded with his eyes for her to understand, but when she spoke, he realized it was to no avail. "Aang," she started quietly. "I don't like this any more than you do, but...but I think Sokka is right," Katara ignored her brother as he puffed out his chest and nodded proudly at himself. "I just don't know if I can handle something like this again. I mean, he kidnapped you, Aang! While you weren't even in your body! Do you know how scary that was for me?" Tears were streaming down her face by this point. "I thought...I thought I'd lost you," she finished in almost a whisper.
Giving Katara's hand a gentle squeeze, Aang nodded, finally giving in. When it came to Katara, he just couldn't help but cave. "Alright," he said. "We'll go." His gaze trailed back to the limp body still lying there, the slow rise and fall of his back the only sign he was still alive. Though not for long, Aang thought somberly.
Once the Water Tribe siblings were safely back in the saddle, the Avatar patted his Spirit Animal's mighty head. "You ready, buddy?" Appa replied with a sad groan. "I know, boy. I don't like this either." Taking one last look into the snow, Aang flipped the reins, and with a "yip yip", they were off to defend the North Pole once again.
~~~ oOo ~~~
As Zuko began to awake, the first thing he noticed was he was no longer cold. To the contrary, it was quite hot. Though where he was, he didn't know, as he still couldn't open his eyes just yet. As the minutes past by, and strength began to return to him, he cracked an eye open to look around.
The sight the former Fire Prince saw made him forget about any discomforts he was having. He quickly rose to his feet, ignoring the wave of dizziness this caused, and took in his surroundings. No longer was he in the North Pole; quite the opposite. He was standing on an island...in the middle of an active volcano. His right eye widened as he watched the lava flow all around him. "What's going on?" he whispered to no one in particular.
A quick movement to his left told Zuko he wasn't the only one on this little island. He spun with the reflexes of a trained soldier, fists ready in a firebending stance. The man who stood before him was not at all effected by this, however. He stood tall, and carried himself with pride. His robes were a deep red, trimmed in neat gold threading. His hair was long and gray, though he did not wear the typical Fire Nation top knot. His eyes were like a blazing inferno as they glared down at the boy in front of them.
Zuko knew immediately who this man was. Falling onto his hands and knees, face touching the floor, he said, "My Lord Agni".
"Arise, Prince Zuko," Agni told him in a stern voice.
Obeying the Sun Spirit's orders, Zuko stood and asked, "What's going on, my lord? Where am I? What happened to the Avat-"
"Silence!" The lava around the island shot up several feet in the air, quickly ending the prince's many questions. Seeing he had made his point, Agni continued. "I shall answer your second question first. You are in the Realm of the Sun, where I dwell. As for what is happening...you died."
It felt as if Agni had just punched Zuko in the stomach. He stared at the spirit, wide eyed and gasping for breath, before he finally managed to ask, "h-how?"
"Hypothermia, most likely," Agni replied simply. "You became so cold, your inner fire went out. Your life force going along with it."
"Wait, if that's what...what...killed me, then what about the Avatar?" Zuko asked the spirit, scanning the volcano around him, before returning his gaze back to Agni. "If I didn't survive, then he wouldn't either, right?" He knew how desperate he sounded but, well, he was desperate at this point. Death was a hard enough concept to wrap your head around without it being your death you're trying to register.
"That would have been the case," a pause, "had it not been for the Avatar's companions. You remember them coming, do you not?"
"Y-yes," Zuko replied weakly. "I got ready to fight them and...that Water Tribe peasant knocked me out with a bunch of snow..." He looked up at the great spirit, his eyes betraying the emotions raging inside him as realization struck him like a komodo-rhino running at full speed. "They left me to die..." he said, barely louder than a whisper.
Agni's only response was a quick nod.
At that conformation, Zuko's pent up anger finally exploded. "Why would they do that!? How can they just knock a guy unconscious, in a blizzard, I might add, then leave him to die?! I never liked any of them, but I thought they at least had some honor! Maybe I should have just killed them all when I had the cha-" Zuko's rant was cut short by Agni's booming voice.
"You dare speak of honor when you have spent the last six months attempting to capture the world's last and only hope for peace?"
"I'm only trying to fulfill my destiny!" the boy defended.
"Fool!" the great spirit shouted, causing the lava to once again shoot into the air, and the prince to visibly flinch at the reprimand. "What makes you think that this is your destiny? Your father's desire? Your forefather's? Fools they were, as you and your father still are!"
"My father is no fool!" cried Zuko. "He only wishes to fulfill the vision Great-grandfather Sozin had and share the greatness of the Fire Nation with the rest of the world. We all know they need it," he mumbled.
Agni sighed. "It still confounds me how my own people can think they are so superior. Are you any greater than those so called, 'Water Tribe peasants' simply because you are of Fire, and they of Water?"
Zuko opened his mouth to respond, but was quickly cut off by Agni.
"Far from it, as far as I am concerned. You have seen the world; what this war has done, yet you still cling to your stubborn ways and blindly follow a man who has no honor to begin with! While they see what it has done, and reach out to those in need. Now tell me, who do you think pleases me more in these situations?"
Agni looked down his sharp nose at the prince, who couldn't seem to look the spirit in the eyes any longer. "...I," Zuko started, but wasn't able to say anything more.
"This world cannot live without balance," Agni stated, more gently this time. "Each element needs the other in order to survive. None is greater than the other, nor is any weaker. And in the same way, the nations need each other. The Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes, and even the Air Nomads need each other. Though they may be very different from one another, balance is needed in order to bring peace to the world again."
Finally able to find his voice, Zuko shouted, "I don't care about balance! The war can go on forever, for all I care. I just want to go home! I want my father to love me again," he finished quietly, very aware of how selfish he sounded.
"You just don't get it, do you?!" Agni boomed, quickly crossing the space between them and poking a hot finger into the prince's chest, causing him to yelp as his flesh burned. "If there is no balance, the world will forever be in chaos! Have you learned nothing from the Fire Sages? How can one as foolish as you call yourself a son of Agni?"
Once again not able to look the Sun Spirit in the eyes, Zuko looked at his feet, feeling smaller by the minute.
"As for your father," Agni continued. "That man is a disgrace. I am ashamed to have someone as vial and cruel as Ozai representing my glory. But somehow you crave this man's attention, willing to put your own life on the line for his power hunger. Yet another sign of how foolish you are. You have a father who's loved you all along, though he's not the one you're thinking of. One full of honor and great wisdom, yet you treat him like dirt," he spat.
Zuko was about to retort, but was cut off by the burning finger poking harder into his chest.
"Do not deny it, for I have seen how you treat Iroh. You care about no one but yourself and your idiotic quest. You're as selfish and stubborn as the ancient beasts of the Fire Nation. In fact, I see no difference between you and them."
Then Agni's face changed. His lips curled up into a wicked smile, as he began to chuckle. "Yes, that will do nicely," he said to himself as he stood up straight again and walked back to his original place on the small island.
"What will?" the Fire Prince asked, already getting a bad feeling in his gut.
"I have decided your punishment," Agni started. His smile grew as he saw the color drain from the boy's face. So he's heard about punishments from the spirits, has he? Good. "I shall not tell you everything about it, only that you will be different when you wake up again. And since you love speaking out so much, you will be unable to talk. You will only be able to share your thoughts with those with a connection to the Spirit World. As for when your punishment ends...when this war is over and the world is in balance once more, and not a moment sooner." The great spirit paused to let the prince absorb all he was hearing. "Now, it is time for you to return."
Zuko, who was still trying to understand Agni's meaning, snapped his attention back to the spirit. "Wait! What am I supposed to do now?" he asked, even as the world around him started to fade.
He heard Agni's voice, though distant now, saying, "Find your own destiny, my son. And do not be angry with the Avatar, for he is greatly saddened by what he had to do..."
Then his world went black.
~~~ oOo ~~~
Though General Iroh was an old man, and had seen many things in his lifetime, never would he have thought he would see the Ocean Spirit go out of control like it had that night. It was a great loss for the Fire Nation, but he was pleased the people of the Water Tribe had been victorious in their battle. Though he deeply regretted mentioning the Moon Spirit to the girl in the Spirit Oasis, for she had made a great sacrifice.
However, now that the fighting was over and the restoration beginning, there was a new task on the old general's mind. Where did that nephew of mine run off to? Agni, keep him safe! You know how trouble follows that boy everywhere. He was thankful the blizzard had died down a great deal, so he could look for Prince Zuko out past the city.
As Iroh trudged through the snow, a bright light shone before him, momentarily blinding him. After a moment, he managed to slowly open his eyes. What stood before him took his breath away. It was the girl from the Spirit Oasis. Princess Yue is what the Water Tribe boy called her.
He bowed respectfully to her, and she returned it with one of her own. "Iroh," Yue spoke, her voice seeming both loud and quiet at the same time. "I have come to take you to your nephew, by the request of the Sun Spirit, Agni. He knows you will except Prince Zuko, even as he is now." She gently reached for his hand, urging him to follow, and signaling she would speak no more of it.
They walked for several minutes before Princess Yue pointed in front of them. "Your nephew is just over this hill." She turned and smiled. "Take care of him. And if you ever see Sokka," she added, "tell him I'll always be watching over him."
"I will, my dear," Iroh replied, bowing once more. "Thank you for everything. And...I am sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry for, Iroh. It was my fate to become the Moon Spirit. I was only fulfilling my destiny. You are not to blame for my sacrifice," she replied with a gentle smile.
With that, the girl disappeared, leaving the general with one thing to do. He began climbing the steep hill, slipping a few times on the slick ice, but managed to make it to the top.
For the second time in an hour, Iroh's breath caught as he gazed into the valley ahead of him. He had only seen something like it once before, and had believed he would never see it again. Though this was smaller than what he remembered seeing in his younger days, there was no mistaking what it was.
"Dragon."
